Your 20-Point Product Launch Traffic Checklist

But when you are just starting out, or you’re planning for your Seed Launch or an Internal Launch, getting people to your website is going to be totally up to you.

And it doesn’t matte whether you’re using any number of the effective free methods for generating traffic, or setting up a paid advertising campaign, there are 20 steps you need to take to ensure your success. Here they are…

See how each traffic method fits into your overall strategy

Before you even think about testing a new traffic source, the first step is to plan out your overall traffic and marketing strategy. Once you’ve got your plan in place, you’ll be able to make sure that any traffic method you use fits into your overall strategy.

The fact is if you want only highly targeted prospects to be exposed to your launch, some traffic sources (such as co-registration, sweepstakes and viral marketing campaigns) may not be the right fit for your overall strategy.

Ensure the traffic method will create targeted visitors

As discussed above, people sometimes forget that particularly when you are launching a product or service, attracting people who are interested in what you are offering is the first priority. It doesn’t matter if you build a list of tens of thousands of subscribers if these visitors aren’t interested in consuming your content and ultimately buying from you.

So before you start a new campaign, ask yourself:

Where does this traffic come from, and are these people going to be pre-disposed to buying my product or service?

What are the demographics and psychographics of this audience and are they going to be my ideal customers?

Are they likely to have purchased a product or service similar to mine in the past, and they directly interested in what I’m going to be offering?

Define your goals and determine how you’ll measure them

Next, decide on what your goal will be for this particular campaign. For example:

Is your aim to grow your mailing list?

Would you like to directly sell a product or service?

Are you trying to build your brand (not the best idea)?

Are you trying to get people to share your content?

Do you want people to pick up the telephone and call to book an appointment?

Do you want prospects to fill out a form?

Once you choose a goal, make sure your entire campaign is focused on achieving this goal.

Make an educated estimate of the numbers

Now here’s something important: not only do you need to choose a goal, it needs to be measurable. In this step you should determine exactly how you’ll reach and measure your goal.

For example, if you want to sell a product directly, then make a conservative estimate of your conversion rate to work out how much traffic you’ll need to meet your sales goal.

Here’s a simple example: let’s suppose you want to make 20 sales. And let’s suppose you estimate your conversion rate to be typical for a text-based sales page at 1%. That means you make one sale for every 100 visitors, so you’ll need 2000 visitors in order to reach your goal of making 20 sales.

Ensure your sales funnel is in place and tested

Even if your goal for this specific campaign is to sell a product directly (as opposed to building a list), your overall ad campaign will be more successful if your entire sales funnel (up-sell, down-sell, order page bump, etc.) is in place before you start the campaign. That way you can start making sales on the backend straight away.

Review your landing page copy to make sure it’s compelling

Answer the following questions about your offer page:

Have you used a compelling headline (example – Here’s how to get [big result] in [short timeframe], without [stuff they hate]?

Have you used a bulleted list of emotionally charged benefits?

Does your copy evoke an emotional response in your prospects?

Do you offer UNDENIABLE proof of your claims?

Have you used a strong call to action?

Are there any money-leaks, such as unnecessary links leading people away from the sales page?

Once you’ve checked and fixed any problems, it’s time to…

Check all your links and forms are working

Next, have a number of people go through the process of ordering, filling out a form or joining your mailing list (IE whatever your goal is) using different computers and browsers to be sure that everything works as it should.

Create your ad

It doesn’t matter whether you’re using a pay per click ad, a byline or signature file at the end of a blog article, ads for your affiliates to use, or anything else to drive your traffic. Be sure your ad presents the biggest benefits upfront, telegraphs a result you know your prospects want, and arouses as much curiosity as possible.

Use a strong call to action

Every piece of ad copy should tell prospects exactly what you want them to do next.

For example: “Click here to see why traders everywhere are so excited about this new way to earn monthly income from the markets!”

Create your marketing graphics as needed

If you need graphics and you’re not sure how to create them yourself, then hire someone on Fiverr.com or UpWork.com to create simple yet polished graphics for you.

TIP: Check out stock photo sites such as istockphoto.com and depositphoto.com to get your hands on good graphics, usually for a very low price.

Write your autoresponder sequence messages

Whether you are selling products directly or generating leads, you MUST have an autoresponder sequence on the backend to either:

Thank a new customer for their purchase, teach them how to get the most out of it, and then over time recommend related products to them

Help your prospects solve part of a problem while recommending paid solutions that give them the full solution they are looking for

E.G. The 5 Secrets To Doubling Your Conversion Rates (email 1 of 5)

Double check your emails for grammar and active links

Once your emails are finished, make sure you test they have:

Low spam scores that slide through the filters

Subject lines that compelling and click-worthy

Links inside the emails that work and take people to the correct pages

Use testing and measuring tools

Before you run your ads, get your hands on testing tools to optimise your responses. These tools might include a simple A/B split testing tool like SplitTestMonkey.com, LeadPages.com A/B split testing function, or you might use more robust tools such as Piwik.org.

Test small

When you are starting out with a brand new campaign, don’t invest all your time and money into one place. It’s always a good idea to start small and scale up as you get good results.

For example, if you’re buying a solo ad from somewhere like TrafficForMe.com, don’t just dump all of your ad money into one ad. Test multiple small ad buys across different newsletters instead. Then repeat your ad buys with those that get the best results.

Tweak your campaign for better results

Split testing and tweaking your landing page and funnel to be sure you’re not wasting the traffic

Reinvest in the best ads and traffic sources

As you figure out what’s working for you the best, it’s time to reinvest both more time and more money in the best campaigns.

For example, if you’ve started an affiliate program and you have one or two super affiliates on your team, encourage them to perform even better by giving them special benefits such as higher commissions or access to other products.

Another example: if one of your pay per click campaigns is working really well, continue to grow the campaign and reinvest your profits to grow your business more quickly.

Focus on ONE traffic source to start

When it comes to generating traffic, it’s important not to spread yourself too thin, especially at the start. For now, focus on this ONE traffic source, and work on optimizing your campaign for maximum profits.

Tweak your plan

As your campaign progresses, ask yourself:

How well does is this traffic method fitting into my overall plan based on the results (or lack there) that are being generated?

What percentage of profits is this traffic method generating for my business?

What percentage of my resources should I continue to invest into growing this traffic method?

Hint: Spend 80% of your time and resources focusing on the 20% of traffic sources that generate the BIGGEST subscribers, conversions and profits for you. And spend the remaining 20% on testing new traffic strategies.

Rinse and repeat with another traffic source

At this point you should have at least one traffic source that’s really working well. Now it’s time to rinse and repeat everything. Choose another traffic source, add it to your overall traffic strategy, and get to work maximizing conversions and profits.

PLUS: When you’re ready, here are 4 ways I can help you to grow your business using product launches:

1. How To Create A Signature Product Out Of Thin Air In 72 Hours Or LessCreating your product does not need to take weeks or months. My 72 Hour Product Creation Guide shows you how to build high value products one after the other in 72 hours or less. Click Here

2. How To Outsource Your Product Creation And Make It Hands Free.
Outsourcing the creation of some or all of your products and bonuses is a great way to save your time for the more important (and more fun) things you’d rather be doing. Grab my Hands Free Outsourcing Cheat Sheet to learn more. Click Here

3. How To Build A Profitable Launch List.
Building an email list is critical if you plan on doing a launch for your product, service or business. My 1-2-3 List Building Cheat Sheet will show you how to build a responsive list of prospects who are ready to buy from you during your launch. Click Here

4. Work One-On-One With Me
If you’d like to work directly with me to run a launch for your business… just send me a message by emailing me at rocky [at] localwebsolutions.com and put “One-on-One” in the subject line… tell me a little about your business and what you’d like to work on together, and I’ll get you all the details!